The most important jazz cultural event on Cuba confirmed that this year's edition will be in a mixed format, both virtual and in-person, to prevent crowds and infections caused by the new variant of COVID-19. The International Jazz Plaza de Cuba Festival will take place from Jan. 18 to 23 in-person and will be broadcast on the Internet, according to its organizers.

Last year, the festival canceled its on-site concerts when the Caribbean country was going through the third wave of the pandemic and switched its activities to a virtual format. This year, thanks to the mixed format, musicians from nine countries will perform at the 37th edition of the Festival in Cuba. 

The most important jazz event on the island will be broadcast virtually through the Streaming Cuba network, and through the digital platforms of other institutions such as the National Center for Popular Music and the Ministry of Culture.

Given that the island is currently going through a new wave of infections due to the Omicron variant of the virus, organizers have opted to keep the festival on due to public demand, while maintaining proper safety protocols.

For his part, Víctor Rodríguez, president of Jazz Plaza, confirmed at a press conference that the concerts will be held at the National, America and Bertolt Brecht theaters, all located in Havana, with limited capacities

Historically, the International Jazz Plaza Festival is one of the most important music events in Cuba. Over the years, it has counted on the participation of outstanding international representatives of the genre, such as Dizzy Gillespie and Michel Legrand to name a few.

This year, among the guest artists will be pianist Jacob Karl Anders, Ray Lema and Laurent de Wilde, Javier Malosetti and the La Colonia project, Sebastián Carmelo, Mike del Ferro, Pekka Pylkkanen, Radovan Tariska, and Marieke Louix, among others.